The Nature Of Science Flashcards
Scientific inquiry
The myriad of ways in which scientists conduct their studies and form explanations.
Observations
The receipt of knowledge of the natural world using senses or technology.
Core element of scientific inquiry
Scientific findings
Results, conclusions, and suggestions for future research.
Essential to maintain accuracy and clarity
Which of the following is NOT an example of a form of scientific investigation?
A. Experiments
B. Observations
C. Descriptive studies
D. Comparative studies
B. Observations are pièces of knowledge that are accumulated throughout the course of a scientific investigation.
Which of the following best defines a hypothesis?
A. An educated guess
B. A study of the natural world
C. An explanation of natural phenomena
D. A testable proposed scientific explanation
D. A testable proposed scientific explanation
Which of the following is NOT a reason to cite sources throughout the investigation process?
A. To suggest potential further research
B. To avoid plagiarism
C. To lend validity to findings
D. To provide information to future researchers
A. To suggest potential further research
Suggestions are found in the body of the scientific communication, not in cited work
Which of the following describes the difference between mathematical and theoretical biology?
A. Mathematical biology consists of complex models inspired by biology, while theoretical biology consists of complex model that explain biology.
B. Mathematical biology is rooted in statistics and probability, while theoretical biology is rooted in experimental results.
C. Mathematical biology studies system-wide biological processes, while theoretical biology studies molecular level biological processes.
D. Mathematical biology involves mathematical models, while theoretical biology does not
A. Mathematical biology consists of complex models inspired by biology, while theoretical biology consists of complex model that explain biology.
This answer describes the nuance that exists between these closely related fields.
Which of the following correctly describes how the laws of thermodynamics govern energy movement in ecological systems?
A. Energy is created when producers absorb sunlight and undergo photosynthesis.
B. Only consumers have to get their energy from a source other than themselves.
C. Decomposers destroy energy as they break down organic matter in an ecosystem.
D. Energy is transferred when a consumer eats a producer.
D. Energy is transferred when a consumer eats a producer.
Cell theory
All living things are made up of cells.
Robert Hooke
Initial contributor of cell theory. Used a microscope to identify, describe, and name cells in the 1660’s
Ecology
How living things interact with each other and their environment
Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase
1952 confirmed that DNA comprises genetic material in cells
James Watson and Francis Crick
- DNA is structures in a double helix configuration
Rosalind Franklin
Whose expertise in x-ray crystallography provided the necessary data for the double helix model
Biological classification
Grouping organisms based on their similarities
Taxonomy
The practice of systematically classifying organisms
Carl Linnaeus
Grouped species into seven levels: kingdoms, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species
Carl Woese
Discovered a previously unknown group of organisms - Archaea - prompted him to redraw the taxonomic tree, adding the dimension of “domain” to the top of the taxonomic classification system
Which of the following is a major driving force of evolution that was initially proposed by Charles Darwin?
A. Change in species over time
B. The interaction of living things and their environment
C. Organisms receiving at least one allele from each parent for every trait
D. Descent with modification
D. Descent with modification
Heredity
How genes are passed through generations
Which of the following scientists’ work made an initial discovery of the components of genetic material, pacing the way for further research and understanding of its structure and function?
A. Hershey and Chase
B. Watson and Crick
C. Mendel and Franklin
D. Watson, Crick, and Franklin
A. Hershey and Chase
Which of the following does NOT describe the relationship between the work of Linnaeus and the work of Woese?
A. Woese’s work rejected the work of Linnaeus
B. Woese’s work refined the work of Linnaeus based on new evidence
C. Linnaeus’s work laid the foundation for the work of Woese
D. Linnaeus and Woese represent two scientists whose work contributed to the development of classification and taxonomy
A. Woese’s work rejected the work of Linnaeus
SI System
Modern form of the metric system
Precision
How close repeated values are to one another
Accuracy
How close a measured value is to a true value
SI Units
International system of Units
Conversion factor
Power of ten
SI Unit of length
Meter
SI Unit of Mass
Kilogram
SI unit of volume
Liter
SI Unit of force
Newton
SI unit of pressure
Pascal
SI unit of work and energy
Joule
SI Unit of temperature
kelvin
SI Unit of charge
Coulomb
Significant figures
The non-zero numbers, the zeros between them, and the final zero in a measurement
Linear scale
Shows equal values using equal divisions. Describe direct relationships like waves and mechanical motion
Example: a ruler
Logarithmic scale
Nonlinear, with units written in orders of magnitude.
Used to make ratio-based comparisons for large amounts of numbers
Example: Richter scale, measurements of entropy, and decibel unit
Which of the following is not a base SI unit?
A. Meter
B. Gram
C. Second
D. Ampère
B. Gram. The base SI unit for mass in the kilogram
In order to convert 0.75 liters into milliliters, 0.75 should be multiplied by which of the following numbers?
A. 1/1000
B. 1/100
C. 100
D. 1,000
D. 1,000